Rail joint and method of treating same



July 24, 1934. w. s. JACKSON I RAXL JOINT AND METHOD OF TREATING SAME Filed Jan. 1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 24, 1934 I RAIL J OIT AND METHOD OF TREATING SAME William Steell Jackson, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

Application January 1, 1931, Serial No. 505,994

25 Claims.

My invention relates to rail joints of the splice bar type.

The main purpose of the invention is to extend the life'of the rails, after one splice bar joint has ceased to be effective by reason of wear between the bars and rail ends, by the application to the rail ends of a substitute pair of ,splice bars or a succession of substitute pairs of splice bars, each pair engaging different portions of the surfaces of the rail from those engaged by the previous pair or pairs of splice bars.

A further purpose is to replace worn splice bars at a rail joint by new splice bars having fishing engagement with the rail at different portions of the rail surface from the fishing surfaces engaged by the previous splice bars.

A further purpose is to replace used splice bars having fishing engagement with the rail ends at one portion of the lateral extent of the under side of the head or upper side of the flange, or both, by new splice bars having fishing engagement with a laterally different portion or portions of the head of the rail, or of the rail flange, or of both.

A further purpose is to replace splice bars making contact with the fishing surfaces of two adjoining rail ends at intervals along the lengths of the rails and which have ceased to be effective by splice bars having fishing engagement with o the rails at different portions of the rails also spaced (differently) longitudinally of the rails.

A further purpose is to replace worn splice bars in rail joints by new splice bars having fishing engagement with a portion, or portions of the rail spaced from the replacing bars laterally inside or outside of the fishing engagement of the worn splice bars, or spaced differently 1ongitudinally of the rail ends from the spacing of the worn splice bars, or both.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

My invention relates both to the methods or processes involved and to constructions by which the methods or processes may be carried out.

In the drawings I have preferred to illustrate my invention by constructions which I regard largelyas conventional in that they are a few only of a great many forms which might be used and which have been selected because of their Value in illustrating the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional rail joint to which my invention may be applied.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of a conventional rail used for illustrative purposes.

Figures 3-9 are diagrammatic end views .of rails with cross sections of splice bars, illustrative of the application of my invention to splice bars having laterally different shing surfaces or areas upon the rails and suited one pair-to re- 6o place another.

Figures 10 and 11 are diagrammatic side elevations of rail joints illustrative of the variation of the engagement contacts of replacement splice bars along the lengths of the rails, also comprised o5 in my invention.

Figure 12 is a typical section between the meety ing rail ends of a joint which may be one of those seen in Figures 10 and 11.

In the drawings similar numerals indicate like parts.

Rail joints fail in large measure, and require replacement, because of wear of the fishing surface of the splice bar'and the fishing surface of the rail with which the splice bar engages. It is particularly true of the fishing surface of the rail because the enlargement of the fishing space or area due to this wear causes new splice bars of the same character as those previously used to be misflts and, therefore, to be unsuited to 5g use in replacement of the splice bars just removed. v

The wear of the rail to such a point as tointerfere with proper shing engagement and fishing follow-up of a splice bar with a cooperating surface of the rail has made it necessary in the past to crop rail ends, i. e., to cut off from the rails the worn end sections.

Cropping is not only expensive in itself but unts the rail for replacement in the track at the vplace where it was in use (unless quite a number of other rails be cropped at the same time). It is thus necessary in many cases to replace the rail by a new rail and to shift the cropped rail to a wholly different location. Because the tread of the rail is partly worn it is no longer "new and the removal from its place of previous use is too often a signal to take the rail out of main track service and to relegate it to side-track and other secondary service.

The wear of the fishing surface too often thus requires replacement of the rail long before the wear of the tread would have been considered serious enough to cause its removal.

Excluding positions in long track curves, which may cause excessive wear upon the sides of the heads of the rails and require their replacement within a short time, the life of the rails meeting in a joint within a main track is frequently limited, t0 the life of the joint as rst constituted.

roo

. vided:

Vdivisions considered v cerned, as if it were I have discovered that the lives of the rails may be extended greatly, so far as joint depreciation is a factor, by replacing the splice bars first used, after they have worn the rail ends, by new splice bars which have fishing engagement with the rail ends at different (unworn) areas as compared with the fishing engagement of previous splice bars so that the rail lives may be largely independent of wear of the fishing surfaces and the rails may last until discarded by reason of general wear of the tread of the rail, breakage, hammer at the extreme edges of the rail, or other such cause.

In providing different fishing surfaces of engagement for successive splice: bars about the same rail ends, three variations may be pro- (1) By varying the lateral location beneath the head or on the flange, or both, of the fishing engagement made by the old and new splice bars; (2) by varying the locations along the lengths of the rail ends at which fishing contacts, spaced or continuous, take place; (3) by varying the fishing engagements of a series of bars in both of these particulars.

Figures 1-9 illustrate some of the variations which may be made in the lateral position of the fishing space and Figures 10-12 illustrate variation in the positions longitudinally of the rail ends at which fishing engagements take place.

.For convenience I have divided the bearing surface upon the under side of the rail head and upon the upper side of the rail flange into three parts or bands each, considered in a lateral direction, representing three sections or areas each of which the splice bar upper and lower fianges of engagewth prior either of may engage to find a fresh surface ment in each of these as compared engagement of a splice bar ange with the other two portions or bands.

It will be obvious that the number of sublaterally may be made greater than three, and that but two such divisions are required to practice my invention by lateral Variation of the engaging surface; but three are not only ample to illustrate the principles of my invention but offer a choice of successive areas of engagement or more than one replacement. Three such areas or bands have therefore been chosen.

In Figure 1 the rail ends 15 and 16 are joined by ytwo splice bars of which bars but one, 17, is shown.- The bars are held in place to form the joint by bolts 18.

The individual splice bar constructions and their individual engagements with the rails are not intended to be claimed by me. My invention is directed solely `t) a relation existing between two bars, one of which is to replace another at the joint, namely, that the replacing bar engages with fresh rail surfaces, unworn by the previous bar.

The first part of my invention is based upon the idea that a rail which is worn in one of these areas by reason of the engagement of a splice bar with that area, will still be unaffected and free from wear in another area or other areas, so as to receive a fresh splice bar intended for fishing contact at a different distance from the web with the same benefit, so far as the joint is conthe first application of a splice bar to the rail end.

As hammer upon theV upper (tread) surfaces of the ends of the rails and wear of the .treads and side rail surfaces will ultimately require red. tirement of the rails from first class main line rail service, it is lnot necessary to provide many changes of splice bar contacts in order to have the life of the rails when considered from splice bar and rail contact viewpoints exceed the available life of the rails as limited by other injuries.

From my viewpoint two bars with different areas of splice bar fishing contacts with the rail will double the life of the rails before cropping and three such pairs of splice bars having different fishing contacts with the rails will probably be sufficient to extend the rail lives until they fail for other reasons; There is no 'diiculty in selecting three such different the same rail section even where the changes are limited to differences in lateral positions of contact with the rail without taking advantage of the additional changes provided by selecting different parts of the lengths of the rails for the contact surfaces.

For convenience of reference in explanation of my invention but without intending to limit my contacts to the exact areas indicated I have shown upon Figure 2, taken as a diagrammatic illustration of the standard rail, three different contact areas beneath the rail head and three different flange contacts.

The fillet contacts at top and bottom are shown at 19 and 20. Adjoining these I have indicated fishing surfaces 21 beneath the head and 22 upon the fiange with further fishing surfaces at head and flange at 23 and 24 farther from the web than the surfaces 21 and 22. It will thus be noted that for my illustration I have indicated three areas at the top and three at the bottom located at variant distances from the vertical axis of the rail and each adapted for fresh engagement by a splice bar after one or both of the other areas shall have been worn by splice contact.

Confining my description at this point to changes in lateral location of the fishing surfaces only, I have shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 respectively, splice bars which have the same relative positions of contact at the top and bottom of the individual splice bar, considering each bar or pair in the positions shown, i. e., as spaced the same distance from the vertical rail axis at the top and bottom of the bar, but in which both top and bottom of one bar or pair of bars is spaced differently from the axis as compared with the bars of each other pair.

In Figure 3 the bars 25 and 26 are bowed and make fillet contact at 19 and 20. This joint depends for tightening of the joint upo'n the theory that the bowed bar can be sprung laterally (vertically) tending to straightening it out and to extend the ange edges which engage the fillets upwardly and downwardly with respect to each other. Here the adjustment takes place by movement against the upper and lower limiting fillet surfaces.

It will be noted that engagement with the rail takes place wholly with the fillets and that after wear of the rail has unfitted the rail for use with the old or with corresponding new splice bars of this character, the surfaces 21 and 22, 23 and 24 of the rail remain untouched and are available for engagement by new splice bars.

In Figure 4 both splice bars 2'1 and 28 engage with the surfaces or areas of the heads and fanges of the rails which for convenience I have designated as 21 and 22 and both of these engagements are fishing engagements thus providing tightening adjustment (movement) of both top and bottom iianges of each splice bar. Both of these sets of splice bars on different sets of splice surfaces 21 and 22 will therefore be fresh surfaces after the use of splice bars engaging either with the fillets as in Figure 3 or with other parts of the heads and fianges as in Figure 5 and may either precede or follow-in order of usesplice bars of the characters shown in these other figures.

In Figure 5 the splice bars 29 and 30 shown make fishing engagements both at their upper and at their lower surfaces with outer parts 23 and 24 of the fishing surfaces of the rail headand fiange, respectively, surfaces untouched by splice bars of the character shown in Figures 3 and 4;

so that splice bars of the character shown inI Figure 5 can vprecede or follow in order of use splice bars having engagements of either or both of the types shown in Figures 3 and 4.

With splice bars which socket in the fillet beneath the head and have fishing engagement with the iiange or which socket in the fillet adjoining the flange and have fishing engagement beneath the head, there is reason to suppose that the wear within the socket engagement is less than the wear throughout the fishing engagement. For this reason theoretically a part of the advantage of my invention may be secured by replacing a form of splice bar which sockets in one of the rail fillets and which has partly but not excessively worn the rail at the fillet by a splice bar socketing at the same place but having fishing engagement with a different part of the flange or the under surface of the head from the fishing engagement of the original splice bar.

In Figures 6 and 7 I show splice bars 31 and 32,

- 33 and 34 having fillet engagement at 19 beneath the head and fishing engagements with the fianges of the rail, respectively within or against surfaces 22 in Figure 6, and 24 in Figure 7.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have shown the same relation between base free socketing splice bars 35 and 36, 37 and 38 and theirdifferent fishing surfaces beneath the head as exist between the head free socketing splice bars in Figures 6 and 7 and their different fishing surfaces upon the flange. 'I'he bars of Figure 8 socket at their bases and fish against surfaces 21, whereas those of Figure 9, also socketing at their bases fish against surfaces 23.`

I have not attempted to give any considerable number of different contours, cross-sections and variations of distributions of the cross-sections in the figures as these, and the presence or absence of additional fianges or continuous features are not here involved, my invention being suited to all of the different forms and being vbased upon variations in position of the surfaces which are worn by successively replaced splice bars as compared with the bars which they replace, whether there be one bar replacement or two or more such bar replacements.

Though I regard substitution of either of the forms of Figures 6, 7 for the o-ther, or of either of the forms of Figures 8 or 9 for the other as inferior to substitution of any one of the forms of Figures 3-5 for another, because the substitution of the bars of Figures 6 for 7 or of 8 for 9 applies one ange of the new lsplice bar within a socket which is already worn, I would point out that no such objection applies to using the bars of either of the forms of Figures 6 and 7 to replace the Abars of either of the forms of Figures 8 and 9,

nor to the use of bars of either of the forms of Figures 8 and 9 to replace the bars of either of Figures 6 and 7. These forms of Figures 6-9 therefore offer a choice of replacements which will fit one new set of bars against wholly different rail surfaces than those which have been engaged by the bars replaced.

The illustrations of Figures 3, 4 and 5 therefore offer three different sets of bars and the illustrations of Figures 6-9 offer alternatively two sets of bars which not only have fresh fishing engagements with the rail in each case, one as compared with the other, but which offer wholly different surfaces of rail engagement from splice-bar-railwear standpoints'.

Therefore the forms of Figures 3-5 treble the length of rail joint life and the forms of Figures 6-9 at least double the joint life.

Because each of the splice bar replacements to which I have referred above can be made in each of at least two positions of longitudinally spaced splice bar engagements with the rail, each of the capabilities of splice bar substitution above is multiplied by two, and I will now describe constructions by which this multiplication by two-as well as the capacity for one substitution of splice bars of the same lateral position of bar engagement with respect to the rail-may be effected.

In Figures 10 and 1l I have shown two types of spaced splice bar engagement with the rail in which the splice bars engage wholly different sections of the rail, at both head and fiange, in that the locations of the wear engagements are at different distances from the ends of the rail.

In Figure 10 two splice bars 39 are used of which one only is shown in the figure. The splice bars 39 engage with the rail at spaced surfaces 40, 41, 42 and 43 near the ends of the rail, but not at the ends of the rail, so as to leave surfaces 44 and 46 beneath the rail heads unsupported at the ends and preferably also do not engage the fianges of the rail at surfaces 45 and 47. The splice bars are free from engagement with the rails at intermediate rail surfaces also such as surfaces 48 and 50 beneath the rail heads and 49 and 51 on the rail fianges, but engage with the 'rail at surfaces 52 and 54 beneath the rail heads and 53 and 55 on the rail fianges, whereby the entire wear upon the rail beneath the head is confined to surfaces 40, 42, 52 and 54 and the entire wear upon the rail fianges is confined to surfaces 41, 43, 53 and 55.

In referring to rail surfaces beneath the rail heads and on the rail fianges in the preceding paragraph I have not distinguished between different points of engagement laterally of the rail, i. e., whether the engagements are with rail fillets or with the head and fiange near to the fillets or at a distance from them. For this reason the selection of these longitudinally spaced contacts is unaffected by the question of whether the surfaces under the head are fishing surfaces or the surfaces upon the flanges are fishing surfaces or both are fishing surfaces and of the distances of these contacts from the rail webs. This permits splice bars having the spaced contacts of Figure 10 to be varied, for example, in the ways shown in Figures 3-9 to secure replacements by bars Varying in lateral spacing of the contacts from the vertical rail axis.

On the other hand whether such replacements as are suggested in Figures 3-9 be effected or not or after all of them have been effected there still remain surfaces beneath the ral heads at 44, 46, 48 and 50 and on the rail flange at 45, 47, 49 and 51 which have not been subjected to wear and with which engagement can be had at any or at several successively different spacings laterally from the vertical rail axis by splice bars of the second set of bars-and character shown -in Figure 1I'=as regards the contact locations longitudinally of the rail..y This permits a further variety ofiiiierent lateral ena gagements-to be used if desired, corresponding, for example, to the Vlaterally different engagements afforded in Figures 3 9.` t w The splice bars 56 v(one, only, shown) in Figure 11 are shown as engaging `with the rail heads and ilanges within portions untouched by the splice bars of Figure 10.

I have not considered it necessary to illustrate the ways by which engagement between the splice bars and the heads and a'ngesof thev rails may be relieved or the splice bar flanges vertically or laterally or diagonally extended in order to ensure that the splice heads and flanges are spaced longitudinally of the rails because the means by which this is accomplished is not material to the present invention and many ways for effecting this spacing of contacts longitudinally are known and are shown in various United States patents, including relative lateral projection of the entire bar where contact is desired, lateral projection of the head and base flanges of the bar where Contact is intended, vertical projection of the head and base flanges at the points where the contact is desired, contraction of the width of the bar by guttering theweb ofthe bar where contact is not desired, cutting away the surface which would otherwise engage and initially adding-material where the vcontact is to be made.

One such form is given in Figure 12, in order that the illustration may more clearly indicate that contact is intended to be made at some points and not vat others.' Here the section might be taken in a position corresponding to any contact point in either Figure 10 or 1l, looking in the direction of a point at which contact is not made. Bars 57 are shown as engaging the rail and flange at 58 and 59 andfree from rail engagement along dotted surfaces 60 and 6l.

It will be-evident that substituted splice bars should engage with wholly newrail surfaces both at the top and bottom of the splice bar engagement. if the best advantage of my invention i's to be secured, but that a part of the benefit of my invention may be secured ifthe'new splice bars v have sufficient fresh fishing engagement with the rails at the rail ends to constitute a satisfactory joint.

It will be evident that the two splice bars which make up a joint need not be duplicates nor opposite counterparts to secure the benet of my invention, as each may in a different way effectively carry out the invention.

It will be further evident that my invention does not reside'in the detail of any individual joint, or any individual splice bars, but in the relation between the contact surfaces of a substituted or the worn surfaces caused by the set of bars for-which substitution or replacement is being made.

It will further be evident that among the great variety of different splice bar sizes and contours no attempt can be made here to show'all of the different forms which are substitutable one for another and that the illustration used is for this reason illustrative and not complete.

, In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual preference or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore,

bar contacts with the rail clairnall such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim-as .new'and desire tosecure by Letters Patentist l'.` The method of .extending the lives of rails having worn shing surfaces which consists in joining the'mby splicev bars having substantially all of one of its'iishing engagements with each rail at a rail surface which is not worn.

2. The method of extendingv the life of a rail joint made by' splice bars, which consists in replacing a pair of splice bars which have been used upon the rail ends by a diierent pair of splice bars having fresh fishing engagements with the rail ends upon wholly different portions of the rail ends from those worn by the previous bars.

3. The method of extending the life of a rail joint made by splice bars, which consists in replacing splice bars which have made upper and lower fishing engagements within the shing space of the rail at one location, considered with respect to the lateral spacing from the vertical rail axes, by splice bars making substantially all of their upper shing engagement with a different portion of the upper fishing surface of the rail considered with respect to the lateral spacing.

4. The method of extending the life of a rail joint made by splice bars, which consists in replacing splice bars which have made upper and lower fishing engagements within the shing space of the rail at one location considered with respect to the lateral spacing from the vertical rail axes by splice bars making substantially all of their lower fishing engagement with a diierent portion of the lower fishing surface of the rail considered with respect to the lateral spac- 5. The method of extending the lives of rails by extending the lives of the rail ends at their splice bar joints, which consists in replacing worn splice bars by splice bars having substantially their entire fishing engagements beneath the rail heads and above the rail flanges respectively laterally at diierent distances from the rail axis than the fishing engagements made beneath the rail heads and above the anges by the replaced splice bars.

l6. The method of extending the lives of rails by extending the wearing capacity' of their splice bar joints, which consists in replacing worn splice bars at a joint with other splice bars which make substantially their entire engagement with the rail ends along both the upper and lower engaging bar surfaces at places on the rails which have not been worn by the previous splice bar contacts.

7. The method of extending the life of a rail joint made by splice bars in which the splice bars have engaged with the rails at intervals considered longitudinally of the rails', which consists in replacing the splice bars after the rails have become unduly worn by splice bars making their main fishing engagements with the rail ends spaced longitudinally of the rails and engaging at locations along the lengths of the rails which are different from the spaced engagements of the` initial splice bars.

8. The method of extending the lives of rails by extending the lives of the rail ends at their splice bar joints, which consists in replacing worn splice bars by splice bars having their entire fishing engagements with portions of the rail ends spaced longitudinally of the rails from the fishing engagements made with the rails by the replaced splice bars.

9. The method of extending the lives of rails by extending the lives of the rail ends at their joints, which consists in replacing worn splice bars by splice bars having fishingv engagements with the rail ends spaced laterally of the rails and longitudinally of the rails from the rail surfaces of engagement of the replaced splice bars.

10. A rail joint comprising rail ends having worn splice bar fishing surfaces, splice b'ars having substantially their entire fishing engagement with the rail ends at points different from the worn fishing surfaces and bolts holding the bars against the rails to complete the joint.

11. In a Vrail joint, a pair of abutting rail ends having fishing surfaces worn by splice bar engagement, in combination with a pair of splice bars having substantially their entire fishing engagements with the rail at lateral distances from the vertical rail axes different from the fishing engagements worn by the previous splice bars and bolts holding the splice bars in engagement.

12.-In a rail joint, a pair of rail ends having upper and lower fillets and fishing surfaces worn by one splice bar joint use, a pair of splice bars having engagements with the rail ends at one of the fillets and having their other fishing engagements with the rail shing surfaces at points wholly free from wear and bolts holding the splice bars in contact with the rail ends outside of the other fillet.

13. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn fishing surfaces under their heads, splice barshaving their entire fishing engagement beneath the rail heads at al different distance from the vertical rail axes as compared with the worn surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position.

14. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn fishing surfaces beneath the heads and upon the fianges, splice bars having their entire upper and lower fishing engagements with the rail heads and with the rail fianges and at different distances from the vertical rail axes as compared with the worn fishing surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position against the rail ends.

15. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn fishing surfaces beneath the rail heads and worn fillet engaging surfaces between the Webs and their flanges, splice bars engaging the fillet surfaces between the rail heads and webs and having substantially their entire lower fishing engagements with the rail flanges and bolts holding the splice bars in position against the rails.

16. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn fishing surfaces on their flanges and worn fillet engaging surfaces between the webs and their heads, splice bars engaging the fillet surfaces between the rail flanges and webs and having substantially their entire upper fishing engagements with the rail heads and bolts holding the splice bars in position against the rails.

17. In a rail joint, rail ends having upper and lower worn fishing surfaces and unworn upper and lower fishing surfaces, splice bars engaging the rail fillets at one fishing surface and having fishing engagement with the unworn surfaces at the other fishing surface and bolts holding the splice bars against the rails.

18. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn upper and lower fillet engaging surfaces, splice bars having their entire fishing engagements under the rail head and upon the rail flange outside of the fillets, and bolts holding the splice bars in engagement with the rails.

19. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn fish.

ends having their entire fishing engagement with the rail flanges at different distances fromthe vertical rail axes as compared with the worn fishing surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position against the rails.

22. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn upper fillet surfaces, splice bars for the rail ends having the entire fishing engagement had with the rail heads at different distances from the vertical axes as compared with the worin fillet surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position against the rails.

23. In a rail joint, rail ends having worn lower fillet surfaces, splice bars for the rail ends having the entire fishing engagement had with the rail fianges at different distances from the verti- .cal rail axes as compared with theworn fillet surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position against the rails.

24. In a rail joint, a pair of rail ends having longitudinally spaced worn contact surfaces, splice bars having substantially their entire fishing engagements with the rail ends spaced froml vthe rail ends distances different from the spacing of the worn surfaces from the ends so as to engage fresh rail surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position.

25. In a rail joint, a pair of rail ends having spaced worn fishing surfaces immediately adjacent the ends of the rails and at a distance from the ends of the rail respectively, splice bars having spaced fishing engagements with the rail ends between the worn engagements and beyond the farthest of these from the ends of the rails, to

engage fresh rail surfaces and bolts holding the splice bars in position.

WILLIAM STEELL JACKSON. 

